'Empire' Recap: Secrets, Secrets!

In some instances, secrets served as a motivation. That certainly was the case Wednesday night when Jamal clandestinely turned to Cookie for guidance and reached a whole new level musically. Plus, the scene where Jamal had to sneak out of Lyons Dynasty so that Hakeem wouldn’t see him was beyond hilarious. Viewers on Twitter thought so too.

In contrast, Lucious’ secrets about his mentally ill mother only seemed to hold him back – until he saw a gun on a groupie’s thigh and found his musical muse. Huh? And can we discuss that love scene with Lucious, Mimi and April the groupie for a minute? Talk about strange bedfellows. The follow-up scene in the studio was just as bananas. The song did sound better with the click of the revolver but surely we weren’t the only ones who worried that Lucious might accidentally shoot Freda? She is either super brave or just as crazy as Lucious to not check the chamber for bullets. Perhaps she is both.

Pray for Fantasia Loaf. Last place you want to be is near a drunk waffle colored negro in a beige rage with a revolver in his hand. #Empire

Another secret: Laz’s double duty as both Cookie’s bedroom buddy and the puppet master for her gangland nemesis. What a disappointment. The working from bed love scene was so sexy and fun Laz had us wishing he were legit. Dang. Why can’t Cookie find true love?

As for Hakeem, he was the only one without a secret. Unless you count his defiant attempt to groom and secure Laura as the lead singer of Mirage a Trois. Speaking of which, yes, we know that New Yorkers wouldn’t stop and listen to some random Latina singing in public but Laura’s rendition of “I Will Survive” in Spanish was the truth and no one can deny that.

Other high points from the episode titled “True Love Never” included Tiana teaching Laura how to be a diva, Cookie naughtily telling Laz he “ate” everything, Hakeem warning Cookie to not trust Laz, and Clarence Williams III guest starring as a Quincy Jones’ type character named Huey Jarvis. We also dug Jamal’s new track “Heavy,” which sadly got eclipsed by Lucious’ “Bang Bang” song.

Low points from the episode included Lucious getting drunk in the club – isn’t he on medication for Myasthenia gravis or does he not have that anymore? Laz running to the truck to meet with dude without Cookie seeing him, the minister giving Andre cryptic and morally gray advice and Lucious securing a streaming deal by upping Jago’s morphine drip. Where was the nurse? And where in the h-e-double hockey sticks is Anika? Do the writers hate her now? Why is she such a ghost this season?